Lock-seal night depository bag



Aug. 17, 1965 A. c. STRAYER 3 00, I

LOCK-SEAL NIGHT DEPOSITORY BAG Filed Feb. 14. 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Am A'ITOR EY! Aug, 7, 1965 A. c. STRAYER 3,200,868

LOCK-SEAL NIGHT DEPOSITORY BAG Filed Feb. 14, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,290,868 LGCK-dEAL NIGHT DEPSSITORY BAG Arthur C. Strayer, deceased, late of Beaver, Pa., by Eleanore l3. Strayer, executrix, Beaver, Pa., assignor to Eleanore B. Strayer Filed Feb. 14, 1963, Ser. No. 253,657 1 Claim. (Cl. 150-7) The present invention relates to a lock-seal night depository bag and it consists in the combinations, constructions and arrangements of parts herein described and claimed.

The present disclosure is an improvement over the disclosures -of applicants two prior patents, Nos. 1,803,217 and 2,136,598, both entitled Lock Seal Bag and issued on applications filed August 19, 1929 and July 8, 1937, respectively, and bearing issue dates of April 28, 1931 and November 15, 1938.

Generally there is provided a bag comprising front and rear panels of canvas, leather, sheet plastic or other flexible material of suitable strength and durability. The panels are desirably interconnected marginally by accordion pleats. The upper ends of the bag panels have sewed or otherwise fixed thereto a pair of downwardly foldable closure flaps formed of similar flexible material, but preferably of lighter weight and greater flexibility than the bag panels while being equally or almost equally strong. One of the closure flaps has integral strap-like extensions at the ends thereof adapted to wrap around the upper end of the closed bag on the side thereof opposite the downwardly folded closure flaps and to overlap each other medially of the bag. The downwt-urned closure flaps, their strap-like extensions and the upper margins of the bag panels are all provided with registering openings rimmed by grommet eyelets. A barrel-type lock is fixed in the opening of one flap extension and is telescopically received in a tubular socket fixed in the opening in the outermost of the downturned closure flaps for locking interengagement in closing the bag. Both the barrel and the socket portions of the lock have outturned flanges at their outer ends and cooperating grommets welded or otherwise fixed thereto to fasten said portions to the outer laminae of the closure structure.

The closure flaps and their extensions are desirably formed of double thicknesses of their flexible material between which are inserted stay-like relatively stiff metallic plates. The metallic plates may be conveniently held assembled with their flaps and extensions by marginally sewing the plies of material together to thus define retaining pockets for the metallic plates.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a lock seal night depository bag having separable lock portions permanently fixed to parts of the closure structure of the bag to prevent loss or invconvenient displacement of the lock portions and/ or to facilitate and expedite the closing and locking operations.

It is another object of the invention to provide a bag of the character described Witha compact lock comprising a cylindrical socket portion fixed to one part of the closure structure and a barrel portion fixed to another closure part and adapted for telescopic reception in said socket for locking the closure shut.

A further object of the invention is the provision of such a bag in which the closure parts are all provided with registering openings through which the lock portions pass in the closed and locked condition of the bag.

3,200,868 Patented Aug. 17, 1965 "ice Other and further objects of the invention will become apparent from a reading of the following specification taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective View of a preferred embodiment of the invention in closed and locked condition;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary front elevation of the upper end of the bag in open condition with the closure flaps in their unfolded up position;

FIG. 3 is a top plan View of the bag as shown in FIG. 2, showing the closure flaps spread apart to permit insertion of articles into the bag;

FIG. 4- is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing the closure flaps folded together down into bag closing position;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view showing the bag in closed locked condition, the plane of the section being indicated by the line 5-5 on FIG. 1; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view, partly broken away, of the lock members.

With reference now to the drawings, the numeral 10 generally designates the improved lock seal bag. The bag 10 comprises a piece of canvas, leather, sheet plastic or other suitable strong and durable flexible material folded along a transverse medial line 11 to define the bottom of the bag and to provide front and rear bag panels 12 and 13, respectively. The margins of the panels 12 and 13 are folded inwardly and sewed together at their inner edges by stitches 14 (FIG. 5) to form accordion or bellows type pleats 15 which permit moderate separation of the front and rear panels 12 and 13 without objectionable bulging of the bag centrally thereof. Rows of stitches 15 are desirably employed to maintain inward orientation of the pleats 15 and to improve the appearance of the bag.

The closure structure comprises a flap 16 having hori zontal extent approximating the width of the bag panels 12 and 13, and a flap 17 having a horizontal dimension somewhat greater than twice the bag width to provide laterally extending strap-like extensions or tabs 18 and 19 for a purpose hereinafter described. Both of the flaps 16 and 17 are formed of double thicknesses of woven nylon cloth or other strong and durable flexible sheet material, stitched together at 20 along their edges opposite a medial longitudinal fold 21 therein, as shown in FIG- URE 2. Each flap also has a downwardly extending single ply attachment panel 22 somewhat shorter than the width of the bag panels and sewed by stitches 23 to the inner upper surfaces of the bag panels 12 and 13.

The ends of the closure flap 16 are sewed by vertical rows of stitches 24 (FIGS. 3 and 4) located close to the lateral edges of the bag 1% to the closure flap 17. The stitches 24, the metallic lock elements hereinafter described and the horizontal rows of stitches 26 form and divide the double thickness closure flaps and the extensions 18 and 1% of the flap 17 into a plurality of horizontally elongated pockets 26 into each of which (before rows of stitches 21 are sewed) there is inserted a rectangular metallic plate 27 for stiffening the closure sections corresponding to the pockets 26.

The locking device comprises a cup-shaped metallic socket member 23 outwardly flanged at 29 (see FIGURE 5) adiacent its bottom wall. The socket member 28 is snugly fitted in an aperture cut in the center of the closure flap 17 and is fixed in said aperture and to said flap by a ring 31) fastened in any suitable manner to the member 28 and embracing a conventional eyelet 31 rimming the aperture in which the socket member 28 is thus fixed.

The locking device also comprises a barrel-type lock generally designated 32 and having a rotatable disc on its free end carrying a pair of tongues 33 and controlled by a key 34 in known manner. The tongues 33 engage in slots 34' in the inner walls of the socket member 28 to lock the parts 28 and 32 together. Parts 28 and 32 have mating flat surfaces 28 and 32, respectively, for preventing relative rotation of said parts.

The lock 32 is closely fitted in an eyelet rimmed aperture in the extension 19 of the flap 17 and is anchored to said extension by its base flange 35 and a fastening ring 36 similar to the ring 30 previously described.

The flap 16 has an aperture rimmed by an eyelet 37 (FIG. 3) and positioned to fit over the socket member 28 when the flaps 16 and 17 are brought fiushly together during the first step of closing the bag. The bag panels 12 and 13 also have similar eyelet rimmed apertures 38 through which the socket member 28 will snugly pass when the closure flaps 16 and 17 are folded together down over the upper margin of the rear bag panel 13 as shown in FIG. 4. The flap extension 18 is then Wrapped around the bag edge so as to bring an eyelet rimmed aperture 39 in its end over the socket member 28. Next, the extension 19 is wrapped around the other bag edge to bring it into axial alignment with the socket of the member 28. Finally, the lock 32 is inserted fully into said socket and locked therein by the key 34 which is then removed as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5.

While but one form of the invention has been shown and described herein, it is readily apparent to those skilled in the art that many minor modifications may be madewithout departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

In a lock seal bag comprising: front and rear substantially coextensive flexible panels, means permanently interconnecting saidpanels at their side and bottom edges, a pair of somewhat flexible closure flaps, one permanently attached to each of said panels adjacent its upper edge, interconnecting means connecting the ends of one of said closure flaps to the other of said closure flaps to permit movement of the intermediate portion thereof to and from bag closing coextensive face contact therebetween, the other of said closure flaps having strap-like extensions which extend outwardly from said interconnecting means; said closure flaps being foldable together about the upper edges of said panels down into contact. with the upper end portion of one of said panels, and said extensions being foldable in overlapping engagement with each other about the other of said panels; each of said panels, closure flaps, and extensions being provided with an eyelet-rimmed aperture, said apertures being disposed in axial alignment when said flaps and extensions are in folded positions; a locking means, said locking means comprising a cup-shaped metallic socket member permanently secured in the said eyelet-rimmed aperture in the said other of said closure flaps, and a barrel-type lock member permanently secured in the said eyelet-rimmed aperture in the outer of said overlapping extensions, said socket member extending through the said aligned eyeletrimmed apertures in the said panels, closure flaps, and the inner of said overlapping extensions, and said barreltype lock member non-rotatably receivable in said socket member, said lock member having a key controlled means engageable with cooperating retaining means in said socket member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 442,884 12/90 Harker -65 X 573,074 12/96 Cody. 1,803,217 4/31 Strayer -7 1,982,813 12/34 Jacobi 70371 X 2,136,598 11/38 Strayer 150--7 JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, Examiner. 

